Comments on: UK Newspapers http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2005/10/uk_newspapers.html DPF's Kiwiblog - Fomenting Happy Mischief since 2003 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mr K http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2005/10/uk_newspapers.html#comment-145747 Mr K Sun, 30 Oct 2005 08:44:56 +0000 http://kiwiblog-test.inspire.net.nz/wordpress/?p=12557#comment-145747 Yeah - coming from the UK, I'm frustrated that there isn't even one quality national daily. The historical factors behind small regional papers are perfectly understandable, but these days the technology would easily enable Fairfax to produce a national daily, printed around the country and with local pull-out sections in much the same way the Dom Post has what it laughably calls the world news in Section B. It's debatable as to whether it is down to the lack of a national paper, or just a general lack of investment in the content of the papers, but the the quality of the media here is also far lower than the UK - especially in its coverage of public affairs. The Guardian, Times, Indy and FT in particular play a much bigger and higher quality role in helping explain public policy and hold agencies to account than the papers here do. Given the lack of think-tanks and alternative sources of policy research in NZ, the lack of this kind of content in the papers is even more acutely felt. Yeah – coming from the UK, I’m frustrated that there isn’t even one quality national daily. The historical factors behind small regional papers are perfectly understandable, but these days the technology would easily enable Fairfax to produce a national daily, printed around the country and with local pull-out sections in much the same way the Dom Post has what it laughably calls the world news in Section B.

It’s debatable as to whether it is down to the lack of a national paper, or just a general lack of investment in the content of the papers, but the the quality of the media here is also far lower than the UK – especially in its coverage of public affairs. The Guardian, Times, Indy and FT in particular play a much bigger and higher quality role in helping explain public policy and hold agencies to account than the papers here do. Given the lack of think-tanks and alternative sources of policy research in NZ, the lack of this kind of content in the papers is even more acutely felt.

]]> By: Stephen Glaister http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2005/10/uk_newspapers.html#comment-145746 Stephen Glaister Sat, 29 Oct 2005 08:24:28 +0000 http://kiwiblog-test.inspire.net.nz/wordpress/?p=12557#comment-145746 It should be added that the abundance of national dailies in the UK is unique in the English-speaking world - it's a good thing about the UK rather than it's non-existence here being a bad thing about NZ specifically. NZ's model is the same as in the US, Australia, and Canada. Interestingly it does shape the papers' contents, they're noticably unencumbered by even a pose of objectivity, this is well-understood by sophisticated readers and much of the chattering class buys several newspapers much as DPF described himself as doing. Now I think about it the pattern of content production and consumption in the UK newspaper ecosystem is very blog-like. Fleet Street as the ur-blogosphere perhaps? It should be added that the abundance of national dailies in the UK is unique in the English-speaking world – it’s a good thing about the UK rather than it’s non-existence here being a bad thing about NZ specifically. NZ’s model is the same as in the US, Australia, and Canada.

Interestingly it does shape the papers’ contents, they’re noticably unencumbered by even a pose of objectivity, this is well-understood by sophisticated readers and much of the chattering class buys several newspapers much as DPF described himself as doing. Now I think about it the pattern of content production and consumption in the UK newspaper ecosystem is very blog-like. Fleet Street as the ur-blogosphere perhaps?

]]> By: Pamyla http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2005/10/uk_newspapers.html#comment-145745 Pamyla Sat, 29 Oct 2005 07:03:18 +0000 http://kiwiblog-test.inspire.net.nz/wordpress/?p=12557#comment-145745 How about the new 'tabloid' format for the Times and the slightly larger midsize 'Berliner' format for the Guardian?. That must leave the telegraph as the only standard broadsheet! How about the new ‘tabloid’ format for the Times and the slightly larger midsize ‘Berliner’ format for the Guardian?. That must leave the telegraph as the only standard broadsheet!

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